It’s been a bustling summer at the Friends of the 261’s Minneapolis shop! From building a new workbench and adding a small extension to the shop, to soundproofing improvements and tackling the ever-present question of “what does this do?” our dedicated crews have been hard at work keeping the wheels of progress turning, below are some of the highlights.
Work continues on the A18
Back in 2021, MTM (Minnesota Transportation Museum) contracted with Friends of the 261 to work on the Great Northern car A18. The A18’s significance in history as it was built to be James J. Hill’s personal business car.
Crews have completed the installation of new bead board on the exterior of the A18 as well as prep work for installing new windows. Metal work has been completed to bring the rear of the car as close to the original as possible. Inside the A18, work continues on new paneling matching the original as well as ceiling and clerestory details. Crews plan to make significant progress over the winter in preparation for paint and lettering next summer.
Wiscosin Valley & St Croix Valley interior upgrades continue
Crews also diligently continue to upgrade the Valley series cars. New flooring under the booths in both Valley cars, as well as 2 more booths added to the St Croix Valley. The St Croix Valley also had a fireplace added to the lounge area as well as glass partions matching the Wisconsin Valley.
Smoother ride, better work area
Cedar Rapids was found to have worn out springs, so crews took on the task to replace these springs with spares that were in inventory.
Crews also continued on working on sound deadening the HEP room on the 32A to help isolate noise while running on excurions and during the North Pole Express. While in the 32A crews also rebuilt the controls for the HEP generator as well. This will allow for safer operations and make it easier for crews to start and shut down the generator.
After many years of service, the old work bench in the 261’s support car, Earling, has seen it fair share of use. Originally built for just the 261, the fleet has out grown this work bench and was in need of replacement. Crews took on the task of designing, building and installing a new bench to better handle the growing needs of the fleet.
Crews also have been busy at upgrades around the facility, new shelving to organize all the parts and pieces that have been collected over the years. A new small addition was built for a climate controlled room for some of the more sensitive items as well.
